by U.S. Labor Against the War Steering CommitteeUSLAW calls for diplomacy not military confrontation with Iran

USLAW Resolution Calls for Diplomacy Not a Military Attack on Iran

Adopted by the Steering Committee, March 9, 2012

Whereas, many indications point to preparations for U.S. military action against Iran, and

Whereas, we have seen the effects of war in Iraq as a consequence of false and misleading claims of weapons ofmass destruction, which in Iraq led to the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, including a half millionchildren, and we in U.S. Labor Against the War are determined to avoid any repetition of this experience, and

Whereas, the AFL-CIO National Executive Council said in its statement on jobs and labor’s agenda on August 3, 2011:

"There is no way to fund what we must do as a nation without bringing our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The militarization of our foreign policy has proven to be a costly mistake.

It is time to invest at home," and

Whereas, the budget crises at federal, state, and local levels and their devastating consequences for working peoplemake all the more urgent reductions in U.S. military operations and expenditures, and the transfer of those funds tomeet pressing domestic needs, and

Whereas, military threats and saber rattling too easily lead to provocations that result in war, and

Whereas, war would impose terrible and unacceptable consequences on U.S. fighting forces and the Iranian people,especially women and children, and

Whereas, threats and demonization directed at Iran intensify Islamophobia directed not only at Muslims but also atSikhs and many others from South Asia and more generally heighten suspicion of immigrants as “the other”, and

Whereas, the working people, labor and other progressive movements of Iran are systematically denied the rights offree expression, association, assembly and peaceful dissent recognized as universal rights under international law, and

Whereas, the regime in power in Iran faces a growing crisis of legitimacy that challenges its continuing autocratic rule, but the removal of that regime is the business of the Iranian people and not outside foreign forces, and

Whereas, any military attack will simultaneously lead the regime to escalate its repressive measures against all sources of dissent while also rallying the population to its defense out of patriotic and nationalist loyalty and indefense of the national sovereignty of Iran, and

Whereas, belligerent threats of military strikes against Iran may only harden their perceived need for deterrentmilitary power, possibly including nuclear weapons, thereby accelerating a destabilizing arms race in the MiddleEast, therefore be it

Resolved, that U.S. Labor Against the War hereby declares its opposition to military action against Iran by the U.S. orany of its allies, and be it further

Resolved, that U.S. Labor Against the War opposes sanctions against Iran that primarily victimize civilians andstrengthen the Iranian regime, which portrays itself as the defender of the Iranian people, and be it further

Resolved, that USLAW calls upon the U.S. government to turn away from a militarized foreign policy and engage in all possible diplomatic efforts to resolve its differences with Iran, free from threats of military attack, and be it finally

Resolved, that upon passage of this resolution USLAW shall forward it to all U.S. Senators and Members of theHouse of Representatives, and President Obama, and to its affiliates, Change to Win, and the AFL-CIO with a requestfor appropriate action.